Burj Khalifa | United Arab Emirates, 2009

Along with Bahrain and Qatar, the United Arab Emirates gained sovereignty from the British in 1971. It sits on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula overlooking the Persian Gulf. This relatively small country is made up of 7 emirates including Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is home to one of the strongest economies in the world. Thanks to the strength of their economy, the UAE has seen a boom in construction over the decades, which led to one of the most ambitious engineering projects the world has seen.

Left: Michael Gaylard on Flickr & Right: Edward Stojakovic on Flickr

Since 2010, the Burj Khalifa has stood as the world’s tallest building at a staggering 828 meters / 2,700 feet, beating out its predecessor, the Shanghai Tower, by almost 200m. The architecture of the building is based on other great Islamic works of art including the Great Mosque of Samarra and houses 10,000’s of homes, hotels and a mall. Exactly 6 times the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands at 138 meters, this gigantic structure stands as a testament to the boundaries of our capabilities and it remains to be seen as to when the height of this building will be surpassed.

Excuse me! Are you on Pinterest?! Here are a couple of pins! | Right: nathanmac87 on Flickr

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This post is part of an expanded series taken from 37 Wonders of the World in Chronological Order. You can click the link to read more or navigate between individual photo posts beneath the gallery.

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37 Wonders of the World in Chronological Order

For 5,000 years, the world's civilizations have pushed the boundries of creativity to levels beyond previous conpmrehension. In this guide we explore 37 of the greatest Wonders of the World